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"Saying 'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice that you'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you'd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?' In fact, it seems to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame. Even 'lame' is kind of lame. Saying 'You're lame' is like saying 'You walk with a limp.' Yeah, whatever, so does 50 Cent, and he's done all right for himself."— John Green

10.13.2011

Interview with Michelle Madow, author of Remembrance

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Michelle Madow to review her amazing book Remembrance! A great debut novel, it tells the story of Lizzie Davenport, your average high school junior. She has the jock boyfriend, the boy crazy best friend, and the supportive family; everything seems to be perfect. But then Luke Carmichael transfers to her school, and Lizzie's whole life is turn upside down!

I was so excited to be able to interview Michelle about Remembrance, and her inspiration for the book!

Taken from Michelle's website

Eli: What specifically about Taylor Swift’s
“Love Story” music video inspired you to write Remembrance?

Michelle: The first
scene in the music video is Taylor walking through a college campus. She meets
eyes with an attractive guy with dark hair, and suddenly the scene flashes to
the two of them dancing at a ball, in clothing from the Regency Era. The lyrics
in “Love Story” also say, “I close my eyes and the flashbacks start,” and for
some reason I related that to flashbacks of a past life. The characters and
story started to come alive in my head, and it turned into Remembrance!

Eli: Besides Taylor Swift, there is a big
connection to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen within Remembrance; why did
you include this reference in your story?

Michelle: I knew that
I wanted Lizzie and Drew’s past life to be in the Regency Era in England from
the “Love Story” music video. Pride and
Prejudice takes place during that same time period, and it’s one of my
favorite stories, so the parallels ended up naturally falling into place as I
wrote Remembrance.

Eli: Right now you are in the creative
writing program at Johns Hopkins.
Did you always want to be a writer?

Michelle: I’ve been
writing forever, but decided to write for the goal of publication while taking
an Intro to Creative Writing class during my junior year of college. My teacher
and classmates were very enthusiastic about my writing, and their encouragement
helped me realize that completing a novel was a goal I could accomplish. If I
hadn’t taken that one class, I might not be where I am today!

Eli: Who/what are some of your favorite
authors/books?

Michelle: I’m a huge
fan of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa, and Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Eli:Is there a plan for future books in the
works?

Michelle: Yes, there
is! Remembrance is part one in the
Transcend Time Saga. The second part—a short story called Vengeance—will be coming out for the holiday season. I’m doing a
cover reveal blog hop next week, and the full cover will be revealed on October
21. Go to my blog and follow it
via Google Friend Connect to stay updated on the latest news regarding my
books!

I'd like to thank Michelle for allowing me to interview her! And please check out the book;

Michelle Madow, author of Remembrance:In the fall of 2009, I saw Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video for the first time. I thought up a story to go along with the video, and decided to write the beginning of this story as a homework assignment for class. That story eventually became my first novel, Remembrance. I'm so happy to be able to share this novel with you, and hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it!

I'm currently studying creative writing at Johns Hopkins University, and am hard at work writing more novels for young adults.

Check out my website, www.michellemadow.com, to add me on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and my many other social networking sites. I love making new book friends!